ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – A 130-million-dollar project moves forward. The Roanoke County School Board takes the next steps for the new CTE building and renovation of two elementary schools.
A landmark for Roanoke County — that’s what Superintendent Ken Nicely said about the upcoming projects surrounding the brand new CTE building.
“For Roanoke County, an exciting place to symbolize the learning opportunities that our student has in Roanoke County,” Nicely.
$80 million of that 130 will go to the new CTE center. The name of the center has yet to be revealed, but we are told it will not carry on the name of Burton Center for Arts and Technology. The new location will be in Roanoke County instead of Salem, where Burton currently is.
“The site that came together was a perfect spot was just right off Peters Creek Road, it has good highway access, and we were able to purchase the property from several owners to put that together,” Nicely said.
Roanoke County Public Schools are excited about all the career pathway opportunities the new CTE building will bring.
“Heating ventilation and air conditioning, HVAC, collision repair, dental, maybe some orthodontics training in that program, and then we are also adding on to our automotive service program, some diesel technology trainings, so were excited about the new opportunities we will be able to offer for our students in Roanoke County,” Jason Suhr, CTE Director said.
The other $50 million will go towards the renovation of Glen Cove and W.E. Cundiff elementary schools.
“I walk in all of our schools frequently and I’m always amazed at the wonderful work that our students and teachers do at those two elementary schools, but I also marvel about the added distractions and obstacles they have with those open classrooms to accomplish what they do,” Nicely said.
Roanoke County Public Schools are hoping for construction to begin summer of 2024, with a goal to end by the summer or fall of 2026.